"There have been no discussions of any sort with anybody about Dan Marino," said Miami coach Jimmy Johnson.

"I'm not going anywhere," Marino said.

On Wednesday, a wire service report asserted that estranged quarterback Jeff George, having talked with Kansas City Chiefs officials twice already, now was prepared to consider overtures from two other teams, believed to be the Raiders and the Bears.

"Nothing to it," Bears coach Dave Wannstedt said from Halas Hall.

A subsequent wire service report Wednesday evening deleted the Bears' name from the list of teams believed to be interested in George.

But it hasn't been the media alone that has toyed with the emotions of Bears fans over the years.

When it comes to inventing outrageous names for new Bears quarterbacks . . . remember the 1988 press conference when former Bears coach Mike Ditka was asked if he would start Mike Tomczak or Jim McMahon in the NFC championship game against the 49ers?

A short-fused Ditka, when asked during a live report by ABC-Ch. 7 reporter Diann Burns who his playoff QB would be, said: "Sid Luckman."

Hats off: What do you think of those dorky "Cheesehead hats" worn by the Packer faithful?

Love 'em or hate 'em, they are selling like crazy. Sportmart in Chicago was selling them for about $20 apiece until they ran out. More hats have been on order since October, but the Foamation Co. in Wisconsin can't make them fast enough to meet demand.

"It would be easier to get an autograph from Vince Lombardi," said Sportmart exec Donald Goldblatt.

Luck of the Irish: The Notre Dame Club of Chicago lucked out while planning its 39th annual Knute Rockne Awards Dinner at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers on Jan. 17.

Back in September, organizers approached Lou Holtz about being the keynote speaker as he had been since becoming the school's head coach. Holtz, a popular banquet speaker and top draw, initially agreed to appear, then discovered a conflict in his schedule, leaving defensive coordinator Bob Davie as the substitute speaker.

Now that Davie has become head coach of the Irish, the alumni club is proud to present Davie as "the keynote speaker in his first public appearance since being named head coach."

Whine taster: In addition to winning a national championship, Florida football coach Steve Spurrier was the leading vote-getter for SportsLine Whiner of the Year because of his constant complaints about Florida State's late hits on his quarterback. More than 10,000 people voted in the poll, which was conducted by SportsLine USA (www.sportsline.com), a sports on-line service. Behind Spurrier in the top five whiners were Carl Lewis (31 percent), Al Davis (21 percent), Albert Belle (11 percent) and Joe Frazier (3 percent).

Word on the street: David Bailey has been named Arlington Park's new racing secretary. He succeeds Frank Gabriel Jr., who earlier was appointed Arlington's vice president of racing. . . . Northwestern's Darnell Autry told WGN-AM's David Kaplan that he consulted Bears Hall of Famer Walter Payton about turning pro.